Tom Cruise faces career's 'falldown' amid 'Digger' fails hit box office

Tom Cruise has spent decades saving the world on screen, but his latest mission may be proving harder than expected: getting audiences to buy a ticket.

His new film, Digger, is reportedly heading for a staggering financial loss, with production costs estimated at $150 million and another $100 million spent on marketing.

The satire, in which Cruise plays a wealthy oil tycoon whose reckless actions trigger an environmental catastrophe, has struggled to turn its star power into box-office success.

Read More: Tom Cruise faces a $150 million blow as ‘Digger' struggles

The film’s reported performance has sparked questions about whether audiences are ready to see Cruise outside his familiar action-hero territory.

After all, fans have spent years watching him sprint across rooftops and pull off death-defying stunts — not play an ageing oil baron amid a climate crisis.

Critics have also delivered a bruising response, with Digger reportedly sitting at 53% on Rotten Tomatoes.

That reception could complicate Cruise’s reported hopes of earning Academy recognition and proving he can excel beyond blockbuster action films.

A source close to the actor told Heat magazine that Cruise was “beside himself” over the film’s performance.

“Tom poured everything he had into Digger and genuinely believed people would love it, so he's totally stunned by the numbers,” the insider said.

The source also claimed the actor was “totally devastated” by the lack of public interest, adding that his usual promotional efforts had failed to make the expected difference.

The setback comes after Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning reportedly fell short of the earnings needed to justify its enormous budget, with an estimated $200 million loss cited in the report.

Read More: Tom Cruise addresses fans ‘disappointment' after ‘Digger' poor performance

For a star whose reputation has long been tied to blockbuster numbers, two costly disappointments would be a serious blow — even if the next mission is already waiting.